I never really knew there was such a thing as downtempo drum and bass, but then again, music has crossed so many boundaries over the last 10 years it’s hard to keep up with all the new revolutions. Our saving grace is when artists like Appogee cross our desks, avoiding the kitchen sink approach we’ve heard, and instead, are embarking on new lands while introducing us to the kaleidoscope of sonic images that take place in their minds.
Unconscious Ruckus, both in title and in result is both introspective and adventurous, flying fast and furious then bursting into total floatation. Fresh and illuminating vocals highlight abstract measures and flecks of golden textures, bouncing, slithering, and chunking around at any given time. This makes the experience something much more than background music to your yoga therapy, as in the case of “Creeper,” which shoots both bullets and butterflies as you go from one bridge to another, or the pop infused brightness of “I’m Yours.”
Using thoughts and insights into life, the kind of conversation you might overhear at a café, seems to subconsciously link to what our own Drop The Fear have done hundreds of miles from Appogee’s Southern Cal home. It spots a welcome trend in music that spotlights our society’s need for something more than reality shows, low-carb Pepsi, or text messaging.
From “Y illuminative,” which beckons us to live in the now, “Happiness is being in the moment …Acceptance that this is not a rehearsal/This is your life…This is it!” to the matter-of-fact nature of “Coral” that speaks, “And I think, as you get older/You get to a point where you realize that you have to figure it out for yourself/You can’t just always listen to what people have to say or how they think it should be/You have to live it to really understand it/And that is why we are here,” Appogge has hit the mark both with his musician ingenuity and simple yet poignant messages, getting us to think and groove in unison.
